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Women and Water: Shaping Lives and Shaping Solutions

Beyond the physical scarcity of water, the global water crisis has revealed a long-standing gender disparity. While millions suffer, women and children are disproportionately burdened. Women, particularly those from poor and marginalised groups, bear the brunt of this crisis – even though they are also often excluded from the management and governance of this precious resource (1).In 2023, an estimated 380 million women and girls in 26 countries live in a context of high or critical water stre...

A Q&A with Steve Norris - The Director and Co-Founder of Get More Vits

In January, we were thrilled to announce Get More Vits as the latest partner to adopt its voluntary micro-contribution initiative in an effort to combat global water scarcity. Get More Vits, the UK’s number one selling Vitamin drink, will be donating for each bottle sold in Co-op stores, with the proceeds funding water programmes across Africa and Asia....

Water Unite Impact Graduates from Pilot Phase to Scale Up Phase at COP28

Dubai, [14/12/2023] — Water Unite Impact, a strategic partnership between the FCA-regulated impact investment manager Wellers Impact and the global non-profit Water Unite, proudly announces its successful transition from the pilot phase to the scale-up phase at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai. This milestone reflects significant advancement in the organisation's mission to expand impactful initiatives on a broader scale.Water Unite Impact has strengthened its investment the...

A Deep Dive into the Multifaceted Value of Water: Beyond Basic Utility

Beyond its basic utility in sustaining life, water has a multifaceted value with substantial cultural, economic and environmental importance. This article will explore the significance of water, the ways it transcends its fundamental role to influence nearly every aspect of culture, economy and environmental sustainability and how organisations like Water Unite can help develop long-term sustainable WASH solutions that recognise the many fundamental roles of water in communities around the world...

GET MORE VITS JOINS WATER UNITE TO TACKLE GLOBAL WATER SCARCITY

London, 11.01.2024 - Water Unite, a global non-profit, is thrilled to announce the addition of Get More Vits as the latest partner to adopt its voluntary micro-contribution initiative in an effort to combat global water scarcity. Get More Vits, the UK’s number one selling Vitamin drink, will be donating for each bottle sold in Co-op stores, with the proceeds funding water programmes across Africa and Asia.The partnership will be invaluable in furthering Water Unite’s mission to provide ...

BIODIVERSITY, FOOD SECURITY AND WATER SECURITY - IT ALL COMES BACK TO CLIMATE

Changes in climate have always driven changes in nature. Our planet has experienced five climate-driven mass extinctions which have caused 75-96% of species loss each. It is widely believed that we are in our sixth mass extinction but the first to have anthropogenic drivers. The climate shocks we have been experiencing such as floods, droughts, storms and wildfires have been growing in frequency and severity. These climate shocks have thrown us out of balance with nature and our nature-based ser...

ARE YOU PULLING YOUR WEIGHT (IN PLASTIC): A WATER UNITE DEEP DIVE

The linear “take-make-waste” approach to consumerism is on the way out, and circular economy solutions are coming in hot. However, the plastic pollution crisis we face requires us to make significant behavioural and infrastructural changes in terms of how we view the use and consumption of plastics across every sector. Whilst there is an emphasis on consumers to shop more consciously, there is a higher order of responsibility that brands, retailers and manufacturers need to take on boar...

CARBON OFFSETS, BIOGAS AND WATER POLLUTION - AN INTERVIEW WITH NICO STIRER

Nico is CEO and Founder of GREE-Energy, a Water Unite Impact investee. He has 20 years of experience in developing biogas and renewable energy assets in Europe and Southeast Asia. Before founding Gree Energy, he spearheaded renewable energy projects with EON Masdar, the German utility giant and the largest renewable in the Middle East. He moved to Southeast Asia in 2008 as Technical Director for Bionersis, a leading global biogas company delivering 15 million certified emission reductions over ...

VISITING OUR INVESTEES - DAY 3 IN KENYA WITH MR. GREEN AFRICA AND JIBU

Day three and my final day with the Water Unite and Wellers Impact teams, although one of our team, Louis, Water Unite's Partnership Director, is set to carry on to Malawi after Kenya with the Co-op and The One Foundation, representatives to see more on the subject of sustainability.First on the agenda is Mr. Green Africa (MGA), a Kenyan waste collection and recycling giant who have inspired microcosms of circular economy businesses and entrepreneurship. Their operations span from urban cit...

5 BARRIERS TO ACCELERATING SDG 6 IN 2023

The water crisis is no longer the elephant in the room; government leaders, scientists and innovators have brought the plight of SDG 6, clean water and sanitation, to centre of sustainable development discussions. Between 2015-2020, 107 million people have gained access to safe drinking water and 115 million people have gained safe access to toilets at home (CDC 2022). However, data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicate that over 2 billion people still lack access to clean drinking w...

VISITING OUR INVESTEES - DAY 2 IN KENYA WITH SANIVATION

On day two of our trip, the Water Unite and Wellers Impact teams ventured out of Nairobi to head on to Naivasha, a small town to the west, where Sanivation’s waste-to-energy plant resides....

VISITING OUR INVESTEES - DAY 1 IN KENYA WITH GJENGE MAKERS

The Water Unite and Wellers Teams headed out to Kenya to visit our investees in order to gather further insights on their business models and to see where we could provide technical assistance. Whilst COVID-19 put our plans on hold, it is so important that we were able to meet our investees and experience the reality of the positive impacts they create and their role in generating sustainable development....

WATER UNITE IMPACT BACKS AFRICAN CLEAN WATER INNOVATOR JIBU

Water Unite Impact is delighted to announce our investment of USD 500,000 in Jibu. Operating in seven countries of East Africa, Jibu is a leading innovator in the distribution of clean drinking water to low-income populations. Jibu operates 160 water production and distribution franchises that operate ~8,500 retail points throughout Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Burundi and DR Congo. In 2021, they supplied 102 million litres of affordable clean drinking water to over 380,000 daily ben...

URBAN WATER RESILIENCE - LIVING IN BALANCE WITH OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Water security is under threat and governments, leaders and stakeholders are under pressure to create viable, cost-effective solutions. 52% of the world’s population will live in water-stressed regions by 2050. However, there is no ‘one shoe fits all solution’ to urban water resilience; climate shocks have surfaced in different countries in different forms, all of which impacting water security.  For some countries climate shocks have led to floods. In Pakistan more than 1300 people h...

WATER UNITE IMPACT INVESTS INTO GREE ENERGY TO SCALE WASTEWATER INTO BIOGAS SOLUTION

GREE Energy secures pre-series A investment from Water Unite Impact to support its mission in decarbonizing the food supply chain. GREE Energy, a company that decarbonizes food processors in emergent countries by transforming their wastewater into biogas, secures a pre-series A investment from Water Unite Impact. Water Unite Impact, managed by impact investment specialist Wellers Impact, invests into private sector water SMEs globally to transform lives and communities whilst generating ris...

2021 IMPACT UPDATE

In 2021, thanks to your support, our programmes helped:Water Stewardship: Return over 4.1 billion litres of water to regional systems Sanitation & Hygiene:  More than 650,000 people gain access to safe sanitation and hygiene  Environment: Save the equivalent of 31,000 trees by the adoption of biomass fuels Climate: Offset over 2800 tonnes of CO2 eq Employment & Livelihoods: Support almost 2500 jobs in emerging markets...

IMPACT INVESTMENT, MICROLEVIES AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY - AN INTERVIEW WITH CYRILLE ANTIGNAC

Cyrille Antignac¹ is an Investment Partner at Wellers Impact where he looks after investments and acts as a portfolio manager of Water Unite Impact fund. Cyrille has 20 years of experience in Corporate Finance and Private Equity in Asia, Africa and Europe. He is also the founder and former chairman of UBERIS, an impact investing firm. He is also an author and lecturer in leading universities on the topic of impact investing....

WATER UNITE IMPACT BACKS MR GREEN AFRICA - A KENYAN PLASTICS RECYCLING PIONEER

Water Unite Impact is pleased to announce that we are joining the ranks of a diverse group of investors, including DOB Equity and Global Innovation Fund, in the latest round of investment into Mr. Green Africa. Mr. Green Africa, a Kenyan plastics recycling pioneer, has been boosted by a major round of investment by impact driven investors and key industry stakeholders to scale its business model across the continent. Mr. Green Africa’s mission is to turn waste into value, thereby integrating a...

SUSTAINABILITY IS DRIVING SALES IN FMCG - AN INTERVIEW WITH RUPEN SHAH

It was a pleasure to sit down with Rupen Shah, who describes himself as British Kenyan Indian who comes from humble roots. Rupen freely disclosed that he has been incredibly fortunate to be afforded opportunities and to have the support of people who believed in his potential, enabling him achieve more than he realised he was capable of at the time. The personal benefits Rupen accrued from his career now afforded him choices in life and because of his roots, he has a strong desire to give back a...

COP26 - WHAT NOW?

COP26 has come and gone. The circus has packed up and left town, leaders and activists from Boris Johnson to Greta Thunberg have shared their words. In its wake, over 140 countries have committed to net zero goals, covering 90% of global emissions. But will our governments stand by their word and will these policies ever see action? Oxtera Consulting ran a survey within their COP26 panel asking attendees and virtual attendees to vote on what they considered to be the biggest barrier to reaching ...

WATER AT COP26 - NOT AN AFTERTHOUGHT BUT A NECESSITY

The final countdown is on for COP26, described as ‘the world’s best last chance to get runaway climate change under control’. With just days to go ahead of the October 31st start date the final events and panels are being added to the Green Zone agenda. We are delighted to see water-related topics being featured in these new additions. However, considering how closely water and climate change are linked, it was concerning that only one ‘water’ event directly relating to climate ch...

THROWN IN THE SHALLOW END - A WATER SCARCITY CRISIS

Adapting the management of natural resources is an urgent matter and one that needs careful consideration. To many people who live in developed nations, water scarcity may not be of much concern. However, it is not an exaggeration to say that life revolves around water, and water scarcity grows in severity for each passing day in which no action is taken. Restoring the planet’s natural resources is no easy feat - it takes time, money and international co-operation to make meaningful, long term...

FEMALE CHANGE-MAKERS - THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND DEVELOPMENT

It is well documented that one of the major barriers to development is gender inequality. What is less well documented are the female entrepreneurs working to create sustainable solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems in development. These powerful advocates of equality in development can be seen across our partners and investees, so this month, we are celebrating the female change-makers in the waste & WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) sectors. Across both sectors decision and po...

WE DON'T TALK ABOUT POO - AND IT'S A PROBLEM

In this fast-paced, consumer-driven world, we rarely take the time to talk about sewage and waste, simply because it doesn’t make for ‘polite’ conversation. So, ahead of Compost Week, we at Water Unite want to take the time to address the elephant sized pile of waste in the room - why it is such an extensive problem and what we are doing about it. Although the current climate of “throw away” culture is finally being discouraged by the mainstream media, much work still needs to be done ...

SANIVATION ANNOUNCED AS FIRST INVESTEE OF WATER UNITE IMPACT INVESTMENT VEHICLE

Water Unite Impact Investment Vehicle, a partnership between Water Unite and Wellers Impact, is pleased to announce the closing of its first transaction, an investment into the Kenyan sanitation developer Sanivation Ltd (“Sanivation”). The Water Unite Impact  Investment Vehicle, which has a planned capitalisation of US$ 100 million, invests into private sector water, sanitation and plastics pollution reduction  SMEs globally. The fund uses a catalytic capital structure relying on W...